NORMAL, Ill. - On the strength of a 7-2 record - the program's best nine-game start since 2019 - the Illinois State Redbirds return to Michigan, a state ISU has not lost in since 2009, to compete in the Oakland Invitational.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Saturday, September 19
1 p.m. - vs Marist - STATS
Sunday, September 20
1 p.m. - vs Oakland - STATS
QUICK HITTERS
• With her 18 kills in the weekend opener in Michigan, freshman Jillian Ferrill became one of just four freshmen in the country with 18+ kills in a three-set match this season in the NCAA, and is tied for the 21st most in a three-set match regardless of class
• The Redbirds are 5-1 for the first time since the 2019 team opened the season 7-1
• Ruth Ziegler's eight service aces on September 4 are the second-most in school history, and also tied for the second-most in an NCAA match this season, regardless of number of sets played
• Ziegler, in addition to being named to the Seton Hall Tournament All-Tournament Team, was also named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week
• Illinois State has won its last seven matches inside the state of Michigan, with the last loss coming during the 2009 season
• Prior to her team's opening game of the season, Illinois State head volleyball coach Allie Matters - who was returning to play the tournament at her alma mater - was announced as a member of the 2027 class of the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame
• Illinois State ranks inside of the top-100 in the NCAA in seven categories, including in aces per set (2.07, 27th), win percentage (.778, 40th), digs per set (15.07, 54th), kills per set (13.23, 70th), hitting percentage (.251, 72nd), opponent hitting percentage (.177, 76th), and assists per set (12.03, 93rd)
• When Illinois State plays at the Oakland Invite Volleyball Tournament, Abby Reck will play against each of her younger sisters, as one of her younger twin sisters (Molly) plays at Oakland, and the other twin (Mallory) plays for Marist. The three of them were all High School teammates with Illinois State setter Ella Craggs
• Illinois State junior opposite Ruth Ziegler was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason All-Conference Team
• The Redbirds were picked to finish sixth of 11 schools in the 2026 MVC Preseason Coaches Poll
• Illinois State, over its last 17 matches including the end of 2025, have a 13-4 overall record, including winning closed the 2025 season by winning six of its last eight games, including nine by 3-0 sweeps
BALANCING STRENGTH WITH FINESSE
This season, Illinois State junior Ruth Ziegler ranks seventh in the MVC in hitting percentage, and 16th in kills per set. She is one of five players in the conference to rank inside of the top-20 in each of the categories.
OPENING PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Illinois State junior opposite Ruth Ziegler has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the opening week of MVC play, announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. Named to the Seton Hall Tournament All-Tournament Team, Ziegler is one of two players in the MVC to rank inside of the top-10 in both hitting percentage (third) and kills per set (ninth). She is a strong part of the Redbird offense that leads the MVC in hitting percentage after the first week of the season, including back-to-back matches hitting over .300 to close the Seton Hall Tournament (Illinois State had two of the three matches during the week in which a team hit .300 or better). Her three service aces against Fairleigh Dickinson are a career-high, and the first of her collegiate career, while her 12 kills in the finale are tied for the fourth-most in a three-set match in the MVC through the opening week, and her 17 points are the most in a three-set match in the conference. She is an integral part of ISU's .419 attack percentage against NJIT, which is the 24th-highest attack percentage in the country over the opening weekend of the year.
SERVING INTO THE NATION'S LEADERS
Behind 62 total aces through three weekends of the season, Illinois State ranks 27th in the NCAA in aces per set.
ACES ABOUND FOR RUTH
Against Central Michigan on September 4, Illinois State junior Ruth Ziegler had eight service aces, tied for the second-most in a match in program history, while it currently stands as the third-highest total in the NCAA this season.
ILLINOIS STATE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETES
This season, with two international student-athletes on the roster (Emilija Arsic from Belgrade, Serbia, and Oliwia Caputa from Zwiec, Poland), it marks the fourth consecutive season that the ISU volleyball roster has had at least two international players on it. The Redbirds have had at least one international student-athlete every season since 2020.
RETURNING THE SETTERS
Illinois State returns each of its top two assist leaders last season, as Ella Craggs had 671 and Audrey Clark had 475. The duo's total - 1,146 - is the most of any returning pair on the MVC, with the Belmont duo of Jordan Czajkowski and Alivia Keegan sitting just behind the Redbirds with 1,120. There are just four schools in the MVC to return two setters with 200+ assists.
REDBIRDS PICKED SIXTH
The Illinois State volleyball team has been selected to finish sixth in the MVC, according to the conference's preseason coaches poll. Northern Iowa was picked to finish first, earning 119 points and nine first place votes, while Drake and UIC picked up the two remaining first place votes. Five other schools: Bradley, Evansville, Indiana State, Murray State, and Southern Illinois were picked behind Illinois State; however, those results were not made available to the public.
